Accomplish by 40? 50? 60?

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  • mathinc8

    I am turning 45 in a few months.

    At 35 I had my own design studio, married, with one kiddo. We only started the studio because we both found ourselves suddenly jobless with an 8-day-old kid. Talk about scary. We loved where we live so we decided to try and make our own money rather than moving to get new jobs. It was stressful, but also really fun and exciting. Once my wife and I decided to try for kid #2, but instead ended up with kid #2 AND an identical kid #3 I knew my business owner days were numbered. It was just too much. With the studio with a few employees felt like we had five kids.

    I turned 40 and started working through a referral agency as a sub-contractor. Which has been fantastic. I'm really not very passionate about interface design anymore. Honestly, I'm kind of bored with all of it. But I work with great people and have learned how to make good money without working all that much. I can take off as much time as I want and life is pretty easy in that respect.

    I actually felt pretty listless from 38 - 42 or so. Maybe a little depression? I felt like I didn't have much passion in my work, or anything really. I was buying books on existentialism trying to figure out what's wrong with me. During the start of the pandemic, I took up trail running (along with everyone else) and fell in love with it. I absolutely suck at it, I'm slow as fuck, but I actually really like that part of it. I know I'll never be all that good, but I love the process of trying to get better. I recently ran a 50k (~32 miles) in the Grand Canyon. I watch documentaries about it while I crank out my work. I found my new passion.

    I feel like I got really lucky finding design when I did in my late teens. I was very passionate about it and it kept me interested until my mid-30s. And now I've found my next passion in ultra running.

    I do wonder if I'm too comfortable at times. Sometimes I think things are too good. My wife is pretty awesome, my kids are all livewires with huge personalities and I love hanging out with them. My work/life balance is great. But maybe this is just a sweet spot?

    Right around the corner are three teenagers, and who knows how that will change our relationships. I'm pretty scared of my parents getting older. I'm worried a little bit about the longevity of my career, and worried about humanity too if I'm being honest.

    I hope I'm running 50 milers by the time I'm 50. I think that would be fun. And hopefully running can keep my interest as long as design has. We'll see if I'm still running when I'm 60. Or maybe I'll fall back in love with design again. I just hope I find another passion when this one runs out.

    mathinc 8Permalink
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    • All of that sounds great.shapesalad
    • You're in AZ, right? Do the Camelback run. It's brutal fun.garbage
    • I'm about 2h north of Phoenix, up in Flagstaff. I have never ran in Phx, I should actually go do that. I've done some of the Black Canyon Tr. and it's great.mathinc
    • Flagstaff is a trip, don't know how you handle those temperature swings.garbage
    • Camelback is a brutal trail run that includes a built in handrail, because there's a section that's almost vertical.garbage
    • You get to the top and its just a view of the burbs and the Red Mountain ridge.garbage
    • But a hilarious memory: Sitting up on a rock after running that trail, and the team building session that I had passed made it up there by sunset.garbage
    • The look on the hired videographer's face after he hucked one of those ancient Sony PDWs on his shoulder all the way up the hill was amazing.garbage
    • He had the look of "this is a fucking rental" and "I'm going to kill all of these twats". It's a silly place, but if you pass by it's worth a run.garbage
    • hahaha that's hilarious. I'll definitely have to try it once it cools back down. It's already too damn hot for running in Phx!!mathinc
    • Yeah, PHX heat is the only heat I can't really take. Keep on running, though. Good on you.garbage
    • Good for you jimbomilfhunter
    • I used to run that Camelback spine 2-3 times a week... my other favorite run / hike was Piestewa peak — gorgeous at the crack of dawn.PonyBoy
    • ^ respect on both, and agreed on the dawn view, which is followed by an immediate "Let's get the fuck out of here".garbage
    • Catching the full sun before getting down the hill was the worst... side note: I was once blocked by authorities coming down Piestewa to allow a helicopter to...PonyBoy
    • ... pick up someone off the hill with a medical emergencyPonyBoy
    • Haha. I'm sure there was a lot of external compassion, and a lot of internal "Can you please hurry the fuck up?"garbage
    • ha! it was a hot morning if I recall... just dug through my phone and found the photo I took: https://i.imgur.com/…PonyBoy
    • Ha, I was going to ask where the fuck they were going to place the choppa, never noticed the improv pad. People probably bite off more they can chew on the reg.garbage
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